


The Price of Freedom

by RollingMist13



Category: Pirates of the Caribbean (Movies)
Genre: Assassination attempts, Blackmail, Conspiracies, East India Trading Company being shady, Enemies Working Together, Enemies to Lovers, F/M, London 1700s, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-11
Updated: 2020-12-17
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:41:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 13,640
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26959750
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RollingMist13/pseuds/RollingMist13
Summary: What if the Flying Dutchman didn't resurface and Beckett's fleet tore through the Pirates Lords assembled ships? An AU that starts after the clash of forces in At Worlds End. Focus will initially be on a captured Elizabeth Swann and a triumphant Lord Cutler Beckett.
Relationships: Cutler Beckett/Elizabeth Swann
Comments: 4
Kudos: 13





	1. The Death Knell

"Advise your brethren, you can fight and all of you will die or you can not fight in which case only most of you will die."

"You murdered my father," Elizabeth hissed as she met Lord Beckett in the middle of their parlay battlefield.

"He chose his own fate," Beckett replied coldly, matching Elizabeth's fiery stare with his own icy blue eyes.

"And you have chosen yours. We will fight and you will die," Elizabeth snarled back at the short man as she turned away to stomp back to their dingy boat.

"So be it," Beckett answered the now departed Pirate King, thinking it was a shame such a wild beauty's destiny was to end up on the bottom of the sea. But business was business. Order would always prevail over chaos. And she had chosen chaos.

* * *

Elizabeth stilled her rapidly beating heart. She had just witnessed the Flying Dutchmen being dragged down into the depths of the maelstrom, with Will still onboard with a sword through his heart.

"Come on Will," Elizabeth murmured.

She felt a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"If it were going to happen love, it would have happened before now," Jack said with a hint of sadness on his face.

"No, Will stabbed the heart. He is the new Captain of the Flying Dutchman. He is immortal," Elizabeth gasped willing her words to raise the Flying Dutchman up from the watery depths.

"Aye, that is what is supposed to happen but Calypso is a fickle and an unpredictable goddess," Jack replied caressing Elizabeth's shoulder.

"I hate to interrupt," Barbossa shouted from across the ship but we will shortly be having company and I'd rather die having killed as many of those buggers as possible so to your stations men. Let's show them what pirates can do."

Jack started to run around the deck gathering various things while monkey Jack tried to follow him.

Elizabeth took a deep breath and walked to stand beside Captain Barbossa where she saw the Endeavour charging towards them with the rest of the Armada behind it. She looked behind the Black Pearl to see that their own Pirate fleet was riding the wind in to battle as well.

This was going to be one hell of a fight.

"I don't care if I die today just as long as Culter Beckett dies before I do," Elizabeth growled.

"Well missy, I recon you will have the chance to ensure he does," Barbossa replied as the two flagships started their collision course.

The Black Pearl and the Endeavour raced towards each other mirroring the mass of ships behind them.

* * *

"Fire!" Barbossa, Jack and Elizabeth shouted together as the Black Pearl aligned with the Endeavour.

Elizabeth felt the entire Black Pearl shudder as the cannon balls were released. She didn't get the chance to look at what damage had been done to the Endeavour as multiple cannon balls crashed into the Black Pearl rocking everything around her.

She immediately flattened herself to the deck floor and a few seconds later her back was fully covered in splintered wood while her ears were filled with the cries of dying sailors all around her.

She spotted Barbossa at the wheel screaming commands left right and centre. She heard a thud above her head and risked a peak to see that the East India Company men were attempting to reel in the Black Pearl with hooks.

She swiftly cut the line above her head with her sword just as Jack tossed her a pistol before scampering off.

"Jack," she shouted as her hand curled around the pistol but it was no use he was gone.

She pointed and fired the pistol at a swinging East India Company man.

Her eyes locked with her preys. Lord Cutler Beckett was on the deck of the Endeavour and staring straight at her.

He smiled.

Elizabeth gave a shout of pure rage.

She grabbed a nearby rope and swung herself on board the Endeavour. Shortly after her feet hit the navy vessel, she was surrounded by red coated men but a second later Pintel and Ragetti had barrelled into them knocking them off balance.

Elizabeth took this opportunity to advance. She cut through a few men before a large brute forced her back into the middle of the deck with long sweeping slices of his sword.

Elizabeth looked beyond the huge man to see Beckett on the quarter deck watching the contest below with bright eyes.

She was about to charge at the brute but he thudded to the floor with a hole in his chest. In his place stood Marty with a gun almost as big as he was.

Elizabeth inclined her head as a way of thanks and carried on towards Lord Beckett whose smile had been wiped from his face.

A few minutes of cut and thrusting later Elizabeth had made it to the quarter deck, followed by her brave bunch of pirates.

She saw Lord Beckett standing behind a line of East India Company men. They would be no match for her pirates, she thought as they all clashed together.

Elizabeth's path to Lord Beckett was again blocked but she had no real trouble manoeuvring the Lieutenant out her way to the edge of the ship then pushing him overboard before turning back to find Lord Beckett had a pistol aimed at her.

* * *

"Don't make me use this. You have already lost," the slimy bastard said.

Elizabeth took a moment to look around. Despite the bravery of her pirates she saw how their numbers had dwindled on the Endeavour and that there seemed to be more and more red coated soldiers appearing out of the hold.

They simply didn't have the numbers anymore to take the Endeavour and she looked out to the ocean to see that Beckett's Armanda was tearing her pirate fleet to pieces. Some pirate vessels were already fleeing the carnage.

She had nothing to lose then.

She charged and the pistol went off.

Elizabeth reached Lord Beckett and shoved her sword to his throat. She quickly turned him so that his back was against her chest with her sword arm leaning on his shoulder.

"Let the Black Pearl and its crew go or I will cut your throat now," Elizabeth hissed behind his ear.

"I am not sure you will be able to carry out that threat in a minute," Beckett replied, aware that his shot had gone straight through her midriff and was no doubt responsible for the wetness he was feeling against his back.

"Then you only have a minute left to live unless you agree to my terms."

Her sword nicked his throat.

"Fine, let the pirates board their ship and let the Black Pearl go," Beckett commanded, "We will hunt it down later."

His men allowed the surviving pirates to jump back aboard the Black Pearl.

Barbossa and Jack had been watching the exchange from the deck of the Black Pearl and understood what was happening. The Black Pearl started to disengage from the Endeavour and sail away from the navy ship and their King.

"Miss Swann, as you can see, I have done what you wanted now if you would remove your sword," Beckett said admiring the strength he knew it was taking for her to remain upright let alone hold a sword to his throat.

"It's Captain Swann actually," she said before fainting to the floor.

Beckett took one second to look down at the unconscious and bleeding woman before barking, "After the Black Pearl now."

Beckett touched his neck; his fingers came away bloody but he knew the wound she had inflicted on him was minor compared to the damage his pistol shot had done to her.

"Lieutenant," he said to one of his remaining men, "take _Captain Swann_ to the brig but make sure her wounds are treated. She may still be valuable in hunting down the surviving Pirate Lords," he ordered while taking out his spyglass to watch as the Black Pearl sped away from him.

He knew the Black Pearl was the only ship that was able to outrun him. He would have to find another way of ensnaring it and if Elizabeth Swann lived, she would prove very helpful in that endeavour.


	2. Tortuga's Fate

* * *

_A week later in the middle of the night …_

**The Endeavour's deck, a few miles from Tortuga, Haiti**

* * *

Elizabeth stepped into the moonlight with one hand clutching through the white officer shirt she was wearing at the now stitched-up wound on her stomach.

It still throbbed but the pain had eased so that she could move around, albeit slowly and clumsily. She was grateful that the baggy trousers she had been given didn't restrict her as a dress would have, although she doubted there was any female clothing onboard the Endeavour.

"Small mercies," Elizabeth sarcastically commented beneath her breath as she stepped into the night's warm embrace.

Elizabeth closed her eyes and took in a breath of the salty air that surrounded her. She had been holed up in the brig for the past week while she had healed from Beckett's pistol shot, it wasn't an experience she wanted to repeat.

The physician that had been looking after her for the past week hovered at her elbow with a lantern in one hand.

"I am not going to collapse," Elizabeth threw over her shoulder as she opened her eyes.

"I am sorry my Lady but Lord Beckett made it very clear what would happen to me if I failed in my duty to treat your wound and I do not want all my hard work undone because you overexerted yourself too early," the old man squeaked out as his eyes scanned Elizabeth for any signs of weakness.

_Well he was the one to give me the wound_ , she thought venomously before sighing, "We have already been through this. I am not a Lady and the fresh air will do me good. You agreed."

Indeed, she certainly didn't look like a Lady with the loose clothes she was wearing and her long hair flowing behind her unbound.

The old man gulped and readjusted his spectacles as he eyed someone above Elizabeth, "And now I am regretting it."

Elizabeth followed the shaken man's line of sight.

It led her to the grey eyes of Lord Cutler Beckett.

Her captor.

* * *

" _Captain Swann_ , what an opportune moment for you to join us," the Lord said smarmily as candlelight illuminated his face.

The many East India Company men aboard the Endeavour did not stop her slow advance to join Lord Beckett on the Quarter deck. They only stared in her wake as she climbed the stairs to meet with their commanding officer.

"What do you mean by that?" Elizabeth inquired forcefully as she squared up to the short Lord leaving the physician behind her and ignoring the pain stabbing in her midriff each time she took a step.

Instead of replying Lord Beckett raised his arm, pointing in the direction of the ship's figure head. His eyes never left hers as she turned to see the lights of Tortuga in the distance and a swarm of rowing boats descending on the vibrate pirate stronghold.

There were no pirate ships to oppose the remaining ships under Beckett's command, they had all been routed or destroyed in the battle that had claimed the Flying Dutchman and Will. Neither was there a significant rabble of pirates in the city to defend her from an onslaught from the British Navy if they reached Tortuga's shores.

Knowing Tortuga any pirates that were left were probably drunk and sleeping at this hour.

This wasn't going to be a fight. This was going to be a one-sided bloodbath.

And Lord Cutler Beckett was enjoying her emotional reaction when she realised what was going to happen.

"You can't," she half pleaded and half shouted.

"I think you will find I can," Beckett replied calmly as he turned from her to watch the mass of lantern led boats sail ever closer to the doomed pirate city.

Elizabeth snatched a spyglass from the hands of a nearby Lieutenant and pointed it in the direction of the attacking East India Company men. They had almost reached the beach of Tortuga and no alarm had been sounded.

Thinking back to when she had used Beckett's own life as leverage, Elizabeth swung the spyglass at Lord Beckett but he had anticipated her move.

A firm hand griped her wrist and applied enough pressure so that the spyglass fell to the floor with a soft thud.

"I learn from my mistakes," Beckett purred as he held Elizabeth's hand in a deceptively strong hold, "Your sword won't be touching my neck again."

"Neither will your pistol shot find me as a target," Elizabeth snapped back, not dauted by the show of strength from Beckett.

"Why am I still alive," the fallen Pirate King asked in a defeated but defiant voice.

"Because you are still useful to me," Beckett replied simply as if they weren't discussing her life.

She guessed her life to him was just a commodity to be valued based on how useful she could be to him and then traded away or worse.

Elizabeth tightened her free hand into a fist. She would love nothing more than to stick a sword through his rib cage but she was currently weaponless and she suspected any quick movements would rip open her stiches so she settled on giving Beckett a look of pure fury.

To her annoyment he only smiled cockily back at her before letting her hand go and returning his attention to the attack currently underway.

He made no move to dismiss her. He wanted her to see the destruction of another symbol of pirate influence in the Caribbean.

Elizabeth stayed side on to Beckett, she didn't need to watch. She could now hear the screams of the dying in the city under attack. Their cries echoed across the sea and took her back to the night Port Royal had been attacked, itself by pirates. In her mind there was no difference to the scenarios.

One party had worn uniforms and one had not. They both carried death with them without the hope of mercy.

Suddenly the Lieutenant she had stolen the spyglass from dropped to the floor with a bullet hole in his head beside her.

Both Elizabeth and Beckett exchanged surprised looks with each other before running down the separate stairs to the main deck, where most of the East India Company sailors were.

Pirates were climbing up the back of the Endeavour and spilling into the quarterdeck where Beckett and Elizabeth had just been.

"Yes," Elizabeth yelled excitedly as Beckett shouted for the alarms to be raised but it appeared the pirates' surprise attack had disabled the bell.

There was no other way in the pitch blackness to signal to the other ships that the Endeavour was in trouble. The shouts of alarm would only mingle with the screams from the dying Tortuga residence.

The Endeavour was on its own to repel the pirate attack.

* * *

Elizabeth passed a few East India men charging at the pirates as she glanced back behind her.

She saw Beckett draw his sword surrounded by his men, then her eye turned to the onrushing pirates.

She recognised one pirate in particular.

Gentleman Jocard.

It was his men that were attacking the Endeavour.

_So, he was one of the Pirate Lords that fled the battlefield. Maybe I can escape with him_ , was Elizabeth's first thought before she caught the giant black pirate's attention, he gave her a toothy grin and continued slaughtering any uniformed man that got in his way while bellowing out laughs each time he successfully struck down an enemy.

After a few seconds Elizabeth noticed the Pirate Lord was only advancing in her direction and she had an inkling it wasn't to rescue her.

She started to back away from the clashes of soldiers and pirates to the front of the ship, knowing she was in no condition to fight.

She nearly tripped over a dead navy man's corpse as she retreated. She swiftly took the dead man's sword as she noticed that Gentleman Jocard was cutting a direct path towards her.

The Pirate Lord of the Atlantic Ocean stalked her past the foremast so that her next step backwards would take her into contact with the railings of the ship beside the figurehead of the Endeavour.

"I take it you aren't here to rescue your King?"

"Hahaha," came the hearty laugh from the giant black man, "No I have come here to become the King and take the head of my enemy."

"Lord Beckett is around here somewhere," Elizabeth faked looking for the mentioned man as her mind scrambled to figure out how to defeat the huge pirate before her, "I am sure you could find him."

"Find him I will but I found you first," Jocard said as he raised his sword into an attacking position.

"We should work together to defeat Beckett," Elizabeth tried, her eyes following the tip of Jocard's sword.

"You have nothing that I need. No fleet, no information, no treasure. You are no use to me or what remains of my brethren," Jocard said as he charged at Elizabeth like a rampaging bull.

She managed to avoid his initial swipe by dropping to the floor but the fierce pirate pursued her swinging his sword down.

Elizabeth managed to roll away so the sword sliced through the wooden floorboards rather than her flesh but she felt her stitches ripping anyway and the familiar throbbing of pain started to intensify with each breath she took.

"Stop, this is madness," she shouted but the crazy gleam in Jocard's eyes told her he didn't care.

"For me to be King, I need to kill the King," he said as he cornered Elizabeth against the edge of the ship.

Elizabeth hauled herself up against the railings of the Endeavour, if she was going to die it would not be on her knees.

Jocard lunged at her.

She parried the strike but the power behind it sent her to the floor again and when she tried to rise, she found Jocard's boot on her sword hand and the tip of his blade was above her throat.

Jocard lifted his arm to deliver the final blow.

His downward momentum was interrupted by a loud bang.

The giant man seemed to shudder above her and he took a step back, releasing her sword hand.

He has been shot; Elizabeth realised as her instincts took over.

With a last burst of energy, she exploded off the ground to ram her sword into the giant man standing before her.

The pain she felt in doing so, it felt like she had stabbed herself but the sword slid surprisingly easily through flesh and after a few seconds the giant Pirate Lord fell to the floor with the bloodied sword still impaled in him.

Elizabeth looked to her left to see Beckett standing by the foremast with a smoking pistol in his hand.

He had saved her, or provided her with the moment to save herself.

Elizabeth didn't know how to feel about it. She only really had the capacity to feel the all-encompassing pain that was rippling throughout her body. She looked down to her torso. A red splodge was growing on her previously white shirt. She fell to the deck once again and rested her back against the wooden rail in a sitting position.

She watched as Lord Beckett reloaded his pistol as he came to her. Pirates and uniformed men clashed all around him but he seemed to go unnoticed.

_Advantages of being a short ass,_ Elizabeth joked as she stared up at the stars for what she thought was probably her last time.

"No, I refuse to allow you to die _Swann_. You still have a role to play," Beckett said as he laid his pistol on the ground near Elizabeth's hand so he could tug at her shirt and look at her reopened wound.

"I don't have an infinite supply of shirts onboard this ship so I would appreciate it if you stopped ruining them all," Beckett murmured more to himself than the bleeding woman he was kneeling over.

Elizabeth heard the sound of fabric ripping and tore her gaze away from the shining stars to see her nemesis wrapping a piece of his own shirt around her cut torso to stem the bleeding.

_Why is he doing that?_ Her foggy mind wondered.

"There that is the best I can do," Beckett said as he surveyed his handiwork and pulled the bloodied shirt down over Elizabeth's torso so it covered the makeshift bandage.

Elizabeth responded by grabbing the pistol and lifting it up.

She fired before Beckett could react.

The shot flew past Beckett's shoulder and tore through an onrushing pirate that had made it way past the line of East India Company men.

Beckett turned immediately to see the dead pirate's blood seeping onto the deck of the Endeavour besides his Captain's cooling body.

He didn't utter a word of thanks but simply nodded at the prone woman before lifting her as he rose from his kneeling position beside her.

Elizabeth groaned as her battered body rose, once standing wobbly on two feet, supported by Lord Beckett she could see that with Jocard's death his men were fleeing back into the night from where they had come.

"Well that was exciting," Beckett murmured as his grip on Elizabeth's shoulder turned her so they were now looking at Tortuga.

Or what was left of Tortuga.

All Elizabeth saw was a burning inferno and all she heard was the silence of the waves as they brought Lord Beckett's men back to their ships.

Her grip on the empty pistol in her hand laxed and the sound of the pistol hitting the deck brought her back to her senses.

"You aren't going to stop until every pirate is dead, are you?"

"No. King George II gave me a directive as a representative of the Crown to eradicate all piracy in the Caribbean and I do not intend to fail in my duties."

Elizabeth scoffed, "You aren't doing this for King and Country."

Beckett smirked back at her as they started to walk back to the main deck, "Quite right. As Governor of the East India Trading Company it would be more profitable if we could conduct our business on the Seven Seas without threat of pirates hijacking our cargo."

"It is just good business," Elizabeth whispered as Lord Beckett half carried her.

"Indeed," Beckett smiled at his own words coming out of Elizabeth's mouth, as he handed her over to two uniformed men.

"Take her to my quarters and make sure the physician sees to her," Beckett ordered.

"Right away Sir," the two men shouted back.

Elizabeth was dragged away with two questions on her mind.

_Why am I not going back to the brig?_

_Why didn't I shoot him?_

Something had changed as she wasn't quite sure what.


	3. Dead Men Walking

* * *

_Two weeks later …_

**Port Royal Docks**

* * *

Elizabeth stared out into the never-ending sea.

_Why didn't you help us?_ She murmured thinking, _we freed you … and you just left_.

She huffed exhaustedly. She was never going to rely on anyone else again, not a goddess, not a title, and not a man.

Her heart sank as she recalled the way Will screamed as Davy Jones had plunged his huge claymore into his heart.

Elizabeth looked into the deep blue sea and the waves called to her. She really had nothing left.

Just as she was about to step onto the railings, she heard a shout of, "Land-ahoy!"

She turned to see a familiar sight greeting her.

Port Royal glowed in the distance, welcoming her almost.

"It has been a while hasn't it," a polished voice came from behind her.

She didn't need to turn around to know who it was.

"I haven't been back since my wedding day," she said softly remembering how the rain had poured down as she had waited for Will that day.

"Ah yes, my apologises again for ruining your big day," Elizabeth could feel the smirk behind her, "or did I intervene just in time? I never got a straight answer to that question."

Elizabeth didn't respond. She backed away from the railing and wandered to the front of the ship, keeping her eyes on Port Royal and avoiding Beckett's grey eyes as they followed her.

It was her home. She had grown up there.

Childhood memories flooded back to her but they all brought great sadness. In every single significant one there had been her father.

The tears in his eyes as they had mourned the passing of her mother together. Her father clapping at her as she showed him a new dance. The funny voices he would put on when reading her bedtime stories.

All that fatherly love. Gone. Murdered by the smirking bastard that had just walked to stand beside her.

Elizabeth flexed her hands that rested by her hips. How she wanted to wrap them around the short Lords neck.

"Why didn't you throw me back in the brig?" Elizabeth settled on, trying to rein in her anger with her curiosity.

"I told you. You are still valuable to the East India Trading Company. You are still useful to _me_."

"Not what I asked," Elizabeth bit back still keeping her eyes forward and focused on the growing image of Port Royal.

Lord Beckett brushed some imagined dirt of his lapels, "I gave you the use of my quarters as a show of my gratitude."

"Your gratitude?" Elizabeth scoffed as her fiery eyes found Lord Beckett's cold ones.

Beckett held her fierce gaze, "You saved my life when you shot that pirate."

"I was only alive to do so because you shot Jocard." _Because you saved my life first,_ Elizabeth added in her head.

"Oh, that is right," Beckett said as if he had forgotten the events of Jocard's sneak attack,

"The aim of shooting that pirate was to save my life not yours," Elizabeth felt the need to clarify as she sought to coat her actions in a dark light.

"And yet you ended up saving my life," Beckett pointed out, "Rarely do the intentions of a person matter. Only the result of their actions is important."

Seeing the uncomfortable look in her eyes Beckett allowed her an out, "Call my gentlemanly generosity a belated apology for ruining your wedding then if it is so hard to accept payment for saving my life."

"I could have done with your generosity after you shot me," Elizabeth smarted.

"Well, I wasn't in the mood then considering you had just threatened to slice my throat open, and you had just cost me the honour of capturing the famed Black Pearl and ridding the civilised world of two of the most hideous pirates ever to roam the Seven Seas."

A small smile graced Elizabeth's features, "I did do that, didn't I."

"Yes, you did," Beckett replied in a deep voice that hid his amusement at Elizabeth's proud smile.

When an enemy celebrated such small victories, it meant they had already given up hope at wining the war.

* * *

As the Endeavour docked and the crew started to disembark Elizabeth spotted a familiar face amongst the crowd waiting below.

"James Norrington," Elizabeth gasped then hurriedly pushed past a dozen red coated guards to get down the docks.

No guards stopped her frantic descent but all eyes followed her short journey.

"I thought you were dead," Elizabeth puffed out as she reached the Admiral.

"Elizabeth," the uniformed man greeted observing her less than ladylike clothing, "I am glad to see that you made it too."

"Tell me what happened," Elizabeth asked as she laid a hand on Norrington's, "When you didn't get off the Flying Dutchman, I feared the worst."

Norrington made no move to push her hand away or embrace it, "After you left, I was confronted by a member of the Dutchman's crew I bought you as much time as I could before I jumped overboard. I floated around for what felt like forever but one of Beckett's armada ships picked me up and brought me back to Port Royal."

"That is good. At least there is still one decent man left in Port Royal," Elizabeth said gently disengaging her hand from his while eyeing the beautiful sword at his side.

It was one of Will's.

"I am sure your father will want to be included in that statement," Norrington said in a light tone.

Elizabeth froze.

"James …. my father is dead."

All she got in return for her statement was an extremely puzzled look from the man before her.

"When we saved Jack from Davy Jones' Locker, I saw him James. He said he was dead and was passing into the Land of the Dead."

Norrington's confused look continued as he looked seriously at Elizabeth, "I find that hard to believe since I spoke to him only this morning …"

"What?"

"Your father is here in Port Royal Elizabeth."

"I don't understand," Elizabeth said not quite believing James's words. She had seen her father's ghost.

_Had it been a trick?_

In the next instant she bolted away from him and ran straight into a line of red coated guards.

"Let her go," came an authoritative voice.

Both James and Elizabeth turned their heads to see Lord Beckett standing on the docks surrounded by a platoon of his men.

How long he had been watching their interaction, she didn't know but she didn't care. She needed to reach the mansion and find her father.

Beckett and Norrington watched as Elizabeth wriggled past the guards and continued her sprint towards her home mansion.

* * *

"It isn't smart letting prisoners run free," Norrington noted as he looked at his commanding officer.

"I don't think I will take advise on how to control Miss Swann from a man that let her slip through his fingers," Beckett cruelly snapped back, "Besides, I know where she is going and I have something that will keep her in place."

"You intend to leverage her own father against her," Norrington deduced.

"I knew there was a reason I promoted you to Admiral," Beckett said snarkily.

"Why does she believe her father is dead?"

"No idea, she accused me of murdering her father before I tore through her little pirate resistance."

"And you didn't correct her at the time?"

"An angry opponent is much easier to defeat than a calm one," Beckett said slyly.

"Now I appreciate your interest in your former fiancée but we have other matters to discuss."

"Sir?"

"The Flying Dutchman and most of the Pirate Lords are at the bottom of the sea but the Black Pearl, Captain Barbossa and Jack Sparrow are still very much a problem. A problem I would like you to solve."

"Yes Sir."

"Oh, and do a better job that the last time you tried to pursue Jack Sparrow. I can stretch to giving second chances to those I deem worthy but I don't hand out third chances."

"Sir," Norrington reluctantly acknowledged. He knew his position in the East India Company rested entirely in the palm of the man before him.

"You leave as soon as the repairs on the fleet have been finished."

"Sir," the Admiral said again.

"My my one encounter with _Miss Swann_ and you seem to lose the ability to speak."

Norrington ignored Beckett's baiting comment, "Is she no longer a Captain or a King?"

"To be a Captain you need a ship and to be a King you need subjects," Beckett looked in the direction that Elizabeth had sprinted in, the Swann Mansion loomed in the distance, "Your former fiancée has neither."

Norrington didn't reply as Lord Beckett mounted his white horse and followed in Elizabeth's wake.


	4. Rum or Brandy?

* * *

_Half an hour later …_

**Swann Mansion, Port Royal, Jamaica**

* * *

Beckett kicked his white horse through the gates to the Swann mansion. He saw Elizabeth burst through the large door, ignoring the footman's shocked look at his long-lost mistress.

He patted his horse and pulled on the reins to slow it down to a walk as he approached the large door to the mansion.

Elizabeth hadn't looked back once as he and his men had followed her rampant sprint through Port Royal, nor had she deviated from the most direct path to her former residence, running through markets stalls and past gawking citizens with the marching red tide of red coats behind her.

Beckett interpreted her focused actions to mean that her father's wellbeing would be suitable enough leverage to control her. But he hoped it wouldn't be enough to dampen her fighting spirit.

Beckett dismounted his horse as the footman came over to claim the reins.

He walked into the mansion already imagining the father and daughter reunion going on inside. He was sure there would be tears of relief and hugs of joy.

The strong relationship between the two had been obvious when Elizabeth Swann had been arrested and her father had tried to facilitate her escape and continued to be demonstrated in every action Governor Swann had taken since. Everything he had done since his daughter's ill-fated wedding day had been to protect that wayward child's future.

Beckett wasn't disappointed as he stepped through into the hall.

Elizabeth and her father were locked in the most all-encompassing hug Beckett had ever seen. Her arms were wrapped around her father's shoulders while Governor Swann's were tightly coiled around his daughter's waist as their heads rested in the nook of the other's neck.

Beckett was sure that the overwhelming emotions on display before him was rather touching but he wasn't a man prone to outbursts of affection or receiving them so he redirected his uncomfortable attention from the unfamiliar image in front of him to the brandy trolley and poured himself two fingers.

He savoured the sip, letting the oaky notes of his favourite brandy swirl around on his tongue before turning back to the familiar reunion behind him.

"How are you alive?" Elizabeth asked as she pulled her head back from her father's neck to see his bewildered face filled her vision, "I saw you in the Land of the Dead."

"I .. don't know what to say. As you can see, I am very much alive," the Governor said in a quiet voice as his hands moved to rest on his daughter's shoulders before he added, "For now anyway."

_How?_ Elizabeth's mind shouted. She had seen him with her own two eyes sitting in that damned boat. Ignoring her pleas for him to board the Black Pearl. Then it hit her.

_Calypso._

The Goddess of the Sea had tricked her.

_For what?_ Elizabeth questioned internally, _To guarantee that we would release her? That we would know how to kill Davy Jones?_

Elizabeth turned her focus outward. She noted the strain upon her father's face and the way he gripped her shoulders as if she might be taken away from him again at any moment.

Elizabeth felt a cold dread enter her stomach. The truth was she could be taken away at any moment. Their fates were not in their own hands, but in the hands of the ruthless Lord that was sticking to the shadows of the room.

"You have been here all this time?" Elizabeth asked, wanting to distract herself from the growing coldness that was taking over her body at the realisation that she was in more danger now than she had ever been aboard a pirate ship.

"No, I have been aboard the Endeavour and I think I stepped a foot on the Flying Dutchman," the wigged Governor squinted his eyes as if remembering a blurry memory, "There was this horribly deformed man with tentacles for a beard and-"

"You saw Davy Jones," Elizabeth exclaimed unable to imagine the scenario or stop the small smile that tugged at the corners of her mouth. Her father in the presence of the feared Davy Jones. It was two completely different worlds clashing together.

"If you say so. He half terrified me into an early grave," Weatherby chuckled, noting the smile that now graced his daughter's face, and trying to keep the tone of their reunion light, "Then Lord Beckett sent me back to Port Royal to maintain appearances."

"What use are you to him?" Elizabeth asked knowing how Beckett operated. He only kept around those that he could use.

"He wants my influence in London," Weatherby said with a slight disgusted look entering his eye as his hands started to stroke her shoulders. Whether this action was to calm her down or himself Elizabeth didn't know.

_Of course,_ Elizabeth thought. _So, am I here to control my father or is he here to control me?_

"Governor Swann if you will please," Beckett said as he pointed towards the door, "I have a few matters to discuss with your daughter."

"I haven't seen my daughter in months, allow me a few more moments with her," Governor Swann said through gritted teeth.

Beckett considered Governor Swann's words, "You are right Governor, my apologies. When you are finished, Miss Swann please go to the drawing room."

* * *

An hour later after sunset ….

* * *

Elizabeth was sitting in one of the large arm chairs in the drawing room, taking in the heat of the fire she was facing.

As a child the chairs dwarfed her and now as an adult her slight frame still didn't quite fill the space in between the arms.

"Care to join me," Elizabeth said while raising the rum bottle she had pilfered from her father's stash.

"I am more of a brandy man," Beckett replied from the door frame watching how the light of the fire danced of the rum bottle's surface.

"You know where the trolley is," Elizabeth said sharply, having seen him earlier take what he wanted from her father's alcohol stash.

Beckett walked over to the trolley and repeated his previous actions as he poured himself a large glass, "Your father will be disappointed with your drink choice. Ladies drink fine wines."

Elizabeth took another mouthful of rum, "Not a Lady."

"Not a conventional one," he said as he slipped into the seat next to Elizabeth quietly sipping on his poison of choice, mirroring her relaxed posture.

Both didn't fill the seats where they sat as if mirroring the fact that both didn't quite fit into the worlds they had chosen to fight for.

"You intend to use me as a lure to capture the Black Pearl, don't you?" Elizabeth guessed boldly.

"Of course. The Black Pearl is the fastest ship on the Seven Seas. You don't chase what you can't catch. You make it come to you."

"Brilliant," Elizabeth said in a mocking tone. "And how do you intend to use me to lure Jack and Barbossa into your clutches."

"I intend to put you in a perilous position so that when Jack hears he will be forced to come back to Port Royal to save you."

Elizabeth snorted, "You overestimate the goodness in Jack. He won't come for me. He won't put the Black Pearl in jeopardy again and Barbossa won't let him do something so stupid."

"You underestimate your value to them. You are their King."

"That means fuck all now. And you know it," Elizabeth snapped turning her head to throw a fierce look at Beckett.

Beckett smiled at her insolence and unladylike language, "I have known Jack Sparrow a great deal longer than you. He has the heart of a good man I assure you."

"And Barbossa has the heart of a scoundrel. Jack may come to save me but I can _assure you_ Barbossa wouldn't and both are aboard the Black Pearl right now."

"Yes, I suspect you are right there," Beckett conceded good naturedly, "Seems I need something else to entice Captain Barbossa with," Beckett said as his mind worked on the multiple scenarios in his head, rolling the brandy glass in-between his hands.

Elizabeth took another swig from her bottle trying to drown away the defeated feeling that was settling in her bones, "You knew Jack from before?"

"Yes. He used to work for me until he double crossed me and cost me a great deal of standing back in London and with the East India Trading Company," Beckett said concealing the painful memories behind a nonchalantly tone.

"Oh, poor you," Elizabeth drawled as she took another gulp of her rum, "You seemed to have bounced back from his betrayal."

"A setback I overcame," Beckett acknowledged watching the tipsy woman beside him, "When I caught up to Jack again, I made sure his ship sank into the ocean but then he managed to raise it from the ocean's floor with help from Davy Jones, ensuring our little game of cat and mouse never ended. I would very much like to return it to its watery grave."

_The Pearl_ , Elizabeth thought connecting the dots as her mind strove to keep her distracted from the mention of Davy Jones and sinking ships.

Elizabeth allowed silence to envelope the room as the alcohol burned in her throat and relaxed her muscles.

Beckett finished his glass with a flick of his wrist.

'You drink that wrong," Elizabeth observed.

"I'm sorry?" Beckett replied, clearly surprised at her words.

"A drink isn't like a woman you don't need to caress it. You need to drink it," Elizabeth said imparting some pirate advice.

"I beg to differ. Both should be savoured," he replied without missing a beat or the way Elizabeth's cheeks slightly blushed.

A significant minute of thick silence followed his comment but just as Beckett was going to leave Elizabeth surprised him.

"What do you want?" Elizabeth asked in a suddenly cold and serious manner.

_Not as drunk as you like to portray, are you?_ Beckett thought as he rose from his seat and went to refill his brandy glass but he returned with two full ones.

He offered one to Elizabeth. She looked up at the man that would decide her fate. His face was expressionless but Elizabeth knew what he wanted.

She exchanged the rum bottle for the brandy glass.

Beckett took the bottle and examined it then without warning threw it into the fire.

The sound of broken glass cut through the air and the fire grew in intensity, licking on the last drops of the alcohol in the broken bottle.

"I will tell you what I want if you show me how a Pirate King drinks her brandy," Beckett said looking down at her.

Elizabeth fingered the drink in her hands then in an instant she raised it to her lips and drank until the dark liquid had vanished down her throat.

She was never one to back down from a challenge.

Beckett gave Elizabeth a cold smile before copying her actions and downing the drink in his hand as he stood over her.

Both fought through the burning sensations and kept their masks of indifferences intact.

"What do you want," Elizabeth said repeating her earlier question, holding her empty glass on the arm of the chair while matching Beckett's stare.

"I want _Miss Swann,_ for order to overcome chaos. I want to usher in the new age of order, justice, duty and watch as the age of chaos, piracy, and death sinks beneath the waves of progress," he said while pinning Elizabeth to the chair with the burning ambition in his eyes.

"I want _Miss Swann,_ a world where the civilised rule not the uncivilised. A world where those that work hard are rewarded fairly for their efforts. Not a world where the most brutish simply take what they want," Beckett continued and Elizabeth could feel the conviction rolling of every word the Lord spoke.

He really believed in what he was saying.

Beckett turned from Elizabeth and looked into the now dimming fire, "Is that such a bad thing to want?"

Elizabeth took a deep breath and let her hands rub over the chair's arms before replying, "It is not that simple."

"Of course, it is that simple," Beckett roared as he turned around. "You were just taken in by the romance of it all. The illusion of freedom that Jack and Turner fostered in you. It would have come crashing down on its own eventually without my intervention."

Beckett cut off Elizabeth's response before she had even opened her mouth, continuing his forceful speech highlighting her perceived naivety, "Tell me Miss Swann if you hadn't evoked parlay on the day Barbossa's men attacked Port Royal or deceived him into thinking you were needed to lift his curse what do you think would have happened to you onboard the Pearl?"

"The pirates have a code-"

"A code they do not keep to," Beckett quickly interjected.

Elizabeth exploded out her chair, unable to keep her anger in at what Beckett was implying, to draw herself to Beckett's height so their eyes were on an even level, "I would have walked the plank."

Beckett gave out a loud chuckle that was influenced by the amount of brandy he had consumed, "Come on Miss Swann you are not as naive as you portray surely. You walking the plank would have been the best outcome for you but not the most likely."

"I can't change the past. What happened happened," Elizabeth growled.

"No, you can't or my Armada would be floating in pieces right now and the entirety of the Caribbean would be at the mercy of pirates waiting to plunder and pillage. I wonder what the good people of Port Royal would have preferred," Beckett baited.

"I am tired. If you will allow me, I would like to go to bed," Elizabeth said in a dark tone, knowing no more words between the pair would change the other's opinion.

"You have had quite the taxing day," Beckett said in a sly voice, "But we are not finished here. We will resume this conversation tomorrow."

And with a little flick of his fingers he dismissed Elizabeth and once again sunk into the large arm chair.

Elizabeth would have bit at the dismissive gesture if she hadn't just wanted to get out the room. She need time to plan her next move. She wasn't just going to be a pawn in Beckett's game and nor was her father. She was going to do something about the state of play, she just wasn't sure what yet.


	5. An Indecent Proposal

* * *

_One week later …_

**Swann Mansion, Port Royal, Jamaica**

* * *

"Come on James," Elizabeth baited.

"I do not want to hurt you and it is .. improper what we are doing," Norrington said as he looked around the hall, they were currently in. No servants were in sight, they were surrounded by painting and old suits of armour.

Elizabeth slashed at him with a sword in her hand and Norrington easily blocked with his own then circled around the trouser wearing Lady.

"You said if there was anything you could do for me before you left you would do it."

"I didn't anticipate the answer being to duel you," he exclaimed wielding Will's forged sword in front of him.

"It has been said I am rather unpredictable," Elizabeth saw the serious look on Norrington's face remain, "This is merely a last indulgence to a dear friend before you depart. Once you go there will be no one left that sees me more than some Lady to be passed around and looked at."

"You are a Lady and-," Norrington's full response was cut off as Elizabeth charged at him.

He dodged the rampage then parried the follow up swing so that the swords clashed together.

Norrington revised his earlier statement, "You are not the _typical_ Lady but you are a Lady Elizabeth."

"And it might be time you started to act like one," came a menacing voice from above.

Both Norrington and Elizabeth lowered their swords and looked upwards to the staircase.

Lord Cutler Beckett was descending down the steps and had probably been observing the duel from on high from his elevated position.

"A well fought duel though I believe Admiral Norrington was being kind in his defensive manner," Beckett commented.

"A fine quality in a man," Elizabeth said placing her sword down on the nearby table not trusting herself with the weapon in close proximity to the Lord.

"Yes, and one that will halt his advancement if it is shown to any pirates he may meet in the future," Beckett said pointedly to the taller man.

Norrington's face darkened, "I will find the Black Pearl and I will bring you Jack Sparrow."

Beckett inspected his hands before drilling his eyes into the Admiral, "You will not do either of those things from here and I know that the repairs on the Fleet are now complete."

Norrington took the hint, "Elizabeth," he murmured warmly as he kissed her hand in way of a goodbye before sheathing his sword.

"I hope to see you again James," Elizabeth said clearly and the sincerity was on show for all to see.

Norrington gave her a sad smile but nodded in his agreement before making his way to the door.

* * *

Elizabeth turned to her captor, "Couldn't let me have five minutes of enjoyment, could you?"

"I couldn't have you distract my best pirate hunter any longer and you two were being rather noisy," Beckett drawled.

Elizabeth's eyes drifted to her sword still on the table and she half joked, "I don't suppose you can duel?"

"A sword isn't my weapon of choice."

Elizabeth remembering Jocard's attack and the scar on her stomach muttered venomously, "No a pistol is more your style."

"Actually, I prefer well placed words."

An amused smile graced her features in reply to his words.

"What is so funny?"

"You make it sound so …. serene like your words are any less destructive than a pirate's sword or a soldier's pistol."

Beckett crossed over the hall and placed his palm on the hilt of Elizabeth's sword then slid it towards her.

"You want to duel Miss Swann, let's duel," he said with a devilish twinkle in his eye.

Elizabeth eyed the presented sword with distrust but picked it up and slowly raised it to point at Beckett's chest, 'You need a weapon to duel."

"I already told you what my weapon is."

"You are going to bore me to death with your monologues?" Elizabeth offered.

"I am trying to teach you something Miss Swann," Beckett said condescendingly.

Elizabeth stepped towards Beckett and she rested the point of her sword on his shoulder in a threatening way, "Do go on."

"There is a tool for every task, and a task for every tool," he said confidently, "You and your former acquaintances would always use the sword and pistol no matter the problem before them believing Lady Luck and swashbuckling courage would win the day but the world has changed," Beckett said locking his eyes with Elizabeth's, "For example you could run me through with your sword-"

"An appealing suggestion," Elizabeth snapped.

"Quite," Beckett replied unfazed, "But then you would be hanged the following day and your father would dangle beside you."

Elizabeth lowered her sword at the image her mind was producing on the canvas Beckett's words had produced.

Beckett took a step towards Elizabeth closing the gap between them so their faces were a breath away.

"You are no longer in the world of the sword and the pistol. It is time you got used to your new reality and acknowledged that you are no longer free to do what you like."

"You cannot take my freedom it does not have a price," Elizabeth replied resolutely, tightening her grip in the sword as Beckett's face filled her vision.

Beckett let out a laugh, "Really Miss Swann, because your price appears to be your father's life."

Elizabeth pursed her lips, "What is my new reality?"

"A good question," Beckett reached out between them with his hand.

Elizabeth rolled her eyes but placed her sword in Beckett's open hand. This man really enjoyed taking things from her.

"Thank you," Beckett replied with sarcasm.

Beckett inspected the sword, giving it a few controlled swiped in front of Elizabeth.

"I thought you said a sword wasn't your weapon of choice," she remarked wishing she still possessed the blade.

"Ah but I didn't say I couldn't wield one did I," he said behind a cunning smile before putting the tip of the blade on the floor.

"I tire of this game you are playing," she said, her frustration at being confined to the manor on full show, "What is your plan to capture the Black Pearl?"

"I already told you-"

"Yes, yes put me in mortal danger so Jack will come running. That isn't a plan, that is an idea and a flimsy one at best."

Beckett licked his lips, "Fine. I plan on marrying you."

Elizabeth opened her mouth in preparation for another scathing comment but no sound came out. A second went by then another. She closed her mouth and took a step away from the Lord that held her sword.

"Excuse me?" she managed to throw out.

"I thought my plan might render you somewhat speechless," he smirked, "but even you must admit it will have Jack rushing back to save you from my clutches."

"No, it really won't," Elizabeth smarted, "You have … miscalculated."

"We will see won't we," Beckett said watching her every movement.

"You are an idiot," Elizabeth muttered not knowing what was more foolish that Beckett planned to marry her to capture his long-time nemesis or that it might actually work and draw Jack into a trap in some misguided quest to save the damsel in distress.

"I don't think that is a very ladylike comment, especially to your fiancée," Beckett practically chuckled his way through that sentence enjoying Elizabeth's discomfort enormously.

"You haven't proposed," Elizabeth jabbed back, easing back into their tête-à-tête rhythm.

"I thought I just did that."

"No, you told me you were going to marry me, there was no question there."

"There was no question because you have no choice," Beckett said in a voice that offered no room for negotiation.

"If there had been a question the answer would have been no."

"Ah but there was no question so there can be no answer," Beckett replied immediately.

Elizabeth shook her head then attempted to walk past Beckett but she was stopped by his outstretched arm, "Where are you going?"

"I am assuming my wedding will be soon, yes?"

"Within the fortnight," Beckett confirmed.

"Well I have decided to digest this news over a bottle of rum while I still have the freedom to do so."

"I will _allow_ that," Beckett taunted then let his hand fall to his side.

"Oh, and Miss Swann, please inform your father of your impending nuptials I am sure he will be glad you are finally settling down."

"I was married before," Elizabeth spat over her shoulder as she exited the hall in search of the alcohol trolley in the longue.

"What?" Beckett exclaimed in his mind as well as out loud but his methodical mind quickly came to a logical conclusion. Elizabeth Swann had married Will Turner before the _Flying Dutchman_ had met its watery doom.

He relaxed his posture; this didn't change anything. His East India Trading Company goals had been achieved, obliterate the pirate presence in the Caribbean so that reliable trading routes could be established but he had yet to reach his personal goals of capturing the Black Pearl and capturing Captain Jack Sparrow.

Beckett heard the door slam announcing Elizabeth's stormy exit. He couldn't imagine a more unsuitable wife for a Lord Admiral. She was too headstrong, disobedient, unpredictable and above all else she was still technically a Pirate King. Luckily for the both of them Beckett knew their marriage would never come to pass, Jack Sparrow's good heart wouldn't allow Elizabeth to wallow in an unhappy marriage.

He was sure of it.


	6. The Union of Two Worlds

* * *

_Two weeks later in the afternoon …_

**In the Garden of Swann Mansion, Port Royal, Jamaica**

* * *

Elizabeth inhaled and exhaled slowly as her father rubbed her hand supportively.

"It might not all be that bad Elizabeth, he is a Lord," Governor Swann tried futility to calm his daughter.

"He killed most of my friends, has you held hostage and oh … _I don't love him_ ," Elizbeth thundered out eyeing the gap in the curtain that they were expected to walk through any minute.

"I know you loved Will but he is dead now and if there is one thing I want beyond anything else, even your happiness, it is your safety guaranteed."

"You think a marriage to Beckett will guarantee my safety?" Elizabeth spluttered, "That man is a snake and I will be just another bargaining chip for him to hold."

"It may not guarantee your safety from him but your marriage to him will from most others."

"What are you saying Father?"

"Danger doesn't just roam on the high seas Elizabeth," her father said cryptically.

Elizabeth was going to ask her father to elaborate further but an officer came through the curtain.

"Everything is ready," the clean-shaven officer said before ducking back out the curtain.

Governor Swann gave his only child a look of resignment but straightened himself and offered Elizabeth his arm.

Elizabeth took her father's arm as they walked through the curtain to face the gathered high society of Port Royal.

Her eyes found her waiting groom's back and the presiding Minister's kindly smile. Elizabeth prayed with all her might that her instincts were wrong that Jack and Barbossa would spring out of the crowd and whisk her away on the Black Pearl to forever runaway on the high seas.

But by the time her father had relinquished her beside Beckett and the Minister her hope of a rescue had run out.

The Ministers words of marital wisdom and the vows passed by her in a flash, she was aware her mouth was moving and saying the words but her mind was still in denial that all her adventures over the past years had led her to this … to marrying Lord Cutler Beckett.

"I, Culter Beckett, take thee, Elizabeth Swann, to be my wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part, according to God's holy ordinance."

The Minister switched from looking at Beckett to Elizabeth, "Do you, Elizabeth Swann take Cutler Becket to be your wedded Husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do you part, according to God's holy ordinance."

Elizabeth took a beat to reply but heard the words, "I do," tumble out her mouth with perfect clarity.

Beckett claimed her lips in a chaste kiss while the crowd behind them erupted into cheers and clapping.

As Beckett drew back, he spun Elizabeth as their eyes crossed and entwined their arms so he could wave at the crowd while escorting her down the aisle.

A sweet smile was plastered on her face but inside she was fuming. She was the Pirate King, she had killed countless men, survived many battles, commanded a pirate armada but now she was reduced to being a Lord's pretty wife.

Elizabeth promised herself that she would not remain with that label for long she just had to find a way for her and her father to escape.

* * *

_That evening …_

**Bedroom chambers in Swann Mansion, Port Royal, Jamaica**

* * *

"Jack is not coming," Elizabeth spoke out to the darkness surrounding the balcony she was currently leaning on.

From his position by the open balcony windows Becket admired the splendid white dress she still wore and the figure it snuggly coated even more but shook his head to dispel his thoughts and refocus on his mission. That was all this farce of a wedding was about, his mission to capture the Black Pearl and Jack Sparrow, nothing more.

"Maybe or maybe he is going to strike when we least expect it," he half pondered half hoped, staring past Elizabeth to the bright full moon that dowsed the sleeping town below in silvery light.

There were dozens of lanterns in the distance patrolling the slumbering townsfolks streets, creating a beautiful view of crisscrossing lights amongst the back drop of the calm but dark ocean beyond.

"You give pirates too much tactical credit. They just aren't known for their punctuality," Elizabeth commented as a tumbler glass was placed by her hand on the balcony.

She turned slightly to see Beckett sipping on his own glass with a neutral expression on his face.

"Brandy?" she questioned as he faced him fully.

"I don't stock rum," he mocked back mirroring her position in leaning on the balcony and staring into the black abyss in front of them.

Elizabeth took the glass but didn't bring it to her lips immediately, "What happens if you are wrong and I am right?"

Beckett smiled, more comfortable with them returning to their give and take holding pattern that they had been enjoying over the past few weeks than the stilted conversation they had been having all day with wedding guests.

He did like a challenge to overcome and his wife certainly provided an entertaining one.

"That is an unlikely scenario but in the event it does occur I will have to …. rethink my strategy," Beckett admitted noticing how Elizabeth was tapping her fingers against the glass instead of drinking it with the confidence he had witnessed a few weeks ago.

 _She is nervous,_ he suddenly realised.

Elizabeth was a woman who could lead a charge in battle against the odds and hold her own in a sword fight but it seemed she had long ago left the debutant world of a young woman of noble birth a long time ago.

Beckett smirked; he would be lying to himself if making her nervous didn't elicit some enjoyment deep down inside him.

"I am not nervous," Elizabeth declared having seen the way his lips had curled upwards and guessed what his mind had concluded.

"Oh?" Beckett challenged back as he turned his whole body towards her.

Elizabeth cupped the glass in both hands but held her position, "I am … annoyed at being put in this position against my will."

"But you aren't scared?" Beckett placed his empty glass on the balcony's edge.

Before Elizabeth could answer there was urgent knocking on their chamber's door.

* * *

Both immediately vacated the balcony to enter into Beckett's study room and he promptly answered the door.

Elizabeth, over Beckett's shoulder could see a young-looking servant holding a box that was as wide as the boy was.

Beckett inspected the box and read a label that was attached, then took it without a word.

"What is it?" Elizabeth inquired not able to keep her curiosity quite as Beckett placed the box on his study desk and she put the brandy glass down beside it.

Instead of answering her he tore the label of and handed it to her.

Her eyes drifted to the scrawling words on the yellowing paper.

_Our apologies for not attending yar wedding Miss Swann, didn't seem like a crowd that would welcome the likes of us but we didn't want you to be too lonely in yar marriage so please accept this gift from the crew of the Black Pearl._

_Captains ~~Hector Barbossa and Jack Sparrow~~ Jack Sparrow_ _and Hector Barbossa_

Despite her circumstances Elizabeth could stop the little chuckle that came out her mouth at the thought of the two pirate captains fighting over who's name came first. Judging on the change in handwriting style for the last five words Elizabeth guessed Jack had won that contest.

Beckett took out a knife from his pocket and started to break the seals on the box. Elizabeth watched as he finished and lifted the lid off the box.

The next few seconds brought images that Elizabeth promised herself she would remember for ever.

The lid flew out of Beckett's hands as something small burst through the box and launched itself at Beckett causing him to tumble to the floor in an effort to avoid it.

Elizabeth started to laugh as Beckett scrambled to get his bearings again with the knife in his hand. He looked up at Elizabeth who now had a small brown monkey on her shoulder.

"What is that?" he questioned with anger swelling in place of his pride.

Elizabeth petted the monkey a few times, "You were right, Jack did come to my wedding just not the Jack you wanted."

"What are you talking about?" Beckett exclaimed as he pushed himself from the floor still eyeing the monkey with caution.

"This is Barbossa's monkey, he named it Jack," Elizabeth responded.

Beckett seeing how the monkey was content on Elizabeth's shoulder, returned his knife to his pocket, "They really aren't coming are they?"

"No, you overestimated their good hearts or underestimated their desire for survival."

Beckett walked to his study table and picked up Elizabeth's brandy glass and started to drink it at a steady pace as his eyes darted around the desk trying to formulate another plan.

"You aren't used to getting things wrong, are you?"

"Do you think I would have risen to the station of Lord if I were? Some of us are not fortunate enough to come from wealth or nobility. All I have is what I earned."

"You think you earned me?" Elizabeth shot back with rage, making Jack slide of her shoulder and disappear into one of the corners of the study room.

"Today wasn't about marrying each other, it was about capturing Jack and the Pearl," Beckett shouted as he lost control of his temper and squared up to Elizabeth pinning her against the desk without his quick advancement alone.

"And Jack bested you again, that must be annoying," Elizabeth pushed having never seen Beckett lose his control like he had a second ago.

He placed the now empty glass down on the table where Elizabeth's hand was splayed for support and she could smell the hard alcohol on his breath as he leaned towards her so their heads were a hands width apart.

"You have no idea," he growled darkly.

Elizabeth drilled her animated brown eyes into his void like grey ones, "I think I do."

Catching her meaning, Beckett chuckled lightly but didn't back away, "Jack's actions demoted me. My actions have elevated you."

"I'd rather have remained where I was," Elizabeth snarled back feeling her own annoyance drifting into anger as the inescapability of her situation dawned on her.

"I am sure you would have but as long as I have your father's beating heart in the palm of my hand you will behave and do as I say."

Elizabeth remained silent at his remark which was as good as a confirmation that she wouldn't cause trouble as long as her father was in danger.

Elizabeth flicked her eyes to the bedroom door before muttering to her feet, "And what do you want?"

Beckett realising what she was thinking backed away from her and straighten himself as he supressed his anger and let it drift away.

"Despite what you think of me, I am not a monster. I do not take from a woman that which she does not want to give."

Elizabeth raised her eyebrow not quite believing the sudden transformation of angry Lord Admiral to hospitable gentleman that had just occurred before her.

"I have work to do and you seem tired," he said gesturing towards their bedroom door, dismissing her, "I will sleep in the conjoining room," he added answering her next questioning thought.

Elizabeth moved towards the door but paused with her hand on the handle still confused over what had just happened. She hadn't anticipated that Beckett would actually have a shred of decency and consider her feelings on the subject of consummating their marriage.

Before he had a chance to change his mind she pushed through the door.

* * *

Having watched Elizabeth disappear behind the door Beckett pulled out a chair from underneath the study desk and started to ponder his alternative options for capturing the Black Pearl and its blasted Captains.

Norrington was currently hunting them but no Navy ship was truly capable of catching the Pearl let alone taking it.

He sighed deeply chastising himself for foolheartedly believing Jack would come. He had been tricked again. Other men he had no trouble predicting and ensnaring but Jack Sparrow was another story. He knew anger would get him nowhere, he needed to be methodical and calculating which was hard to do when he knew his failed plan had landed him with a furious wife who knew how to handle a sword and pistol with the inclination to use both on him.

Beckett briefly wondered if the closed door between them was guarding him or her. He rubbed his eyes; this was a disaster but one he would bounce back from like he had before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Notes:
> 
> They are married now and the Black Pearl didn't come … That would have been too easy and predictable :D
> 
> I wonder what married life has in store for Beckett and Elizabeth. Beckett lost some of his controlling and calculating manner in this chapter as he really hadn't anticipating Jack Sparrow not showing up and actually having to deal with Elizabeth as a wife. But his form will return.
> 
> Meanwhile Elizabeth doesn't have a lot of options to pursue as she is hampered by having to think about her father but she isn't a wallflower :P
> 
> Next Up: Beckett receives a message from London, the newlyweds get into some difficulty on the high sea and Elizabeth has to decide on which path she wants her life to follow.


	7. London's Call

* * *

_Two weeks later in the morning …_

**Swann Mansion, Port Royal, Jamaica**

* * *

Beckett sipped his steaming tea out on the terrace of the mansion taking in the warm rays of the Caribbean sun.

A footman came with the mail and carefully laid the pile down on the wooden table next to the pot of tea.

Beckett eyed the stack and immediately pulled out the letter sealed with the symbol of the East India Trading Company.

He tore the seal and continued to drink in his hot tea as he read the inked words on the white paper.

Once he had finished reading his face was notable darker. He turned to the footman, "Please tell Lady Beckett her presence is required."

* * *

Elizabeth strode out the mansion onto the patioed terrace in a light clothed blue dress that swayed gently in the warm wind. Her long gold-brown hair bellowed behind her as she made her way towards him.

She really was a vison to behold. More so a force of nature than a picture of elegance.

Beckett guessed she had been in the drawing room reading or helping her father with correspondence when his footman had interrupted her. She barely did anything else with her time.

As ever there was a thunderous cloud on her face, "You summoned me?"

"Yes," Beckett replied offering the letter to his wife while still tasting the lemon notes in his tea.

Elizabeth snatched the letter. Her face contorted the more she read. She slammed the letter down onto the wooden table, causing the tea pot to shake.

"I won't go," Elizabeth glowered as she locked her fierce brown eyes on Beckett's veiled grey ones.

Beckett gestured to the chair opposite himself, "Shall we discuss it like civilised people?"

"There is nothing to discuss," Elizabeth snapped back, unable to hold back the rising tide of defiance that had been building since she had stepped out into the sun.

"You are right in your words but wrong in your intentions," Beckett replied almost lazily watching the fiery woman sit down.

"What does that mean?" Elizabeth said taking a tea cup from the set that was placed on the table.

She was about to reach for the tea pot but Beckett beat her to it. He started pouring the tea with practiced precision, holding the lid down with two fingers while Elizabeth's cup filled up.

Elizabeth gave him a slight nod before bringing the soothing liquid to her lips.

"It means, that _we_ have no choice. When the East India Trading Company instructs you to do something, you do it."

Elizabeth noted how Beckett's jaw was set in a firm line, "You don't want to leave either?"

Beckett placed his cup down on its saucer and inspected the rings on his fingers, "I have not finished my work here; I do not have the Pearl or Jack in chains."

Elizabeth frowned, the man opposite her really didn't know when to let go or notice the creeping obsession he had with capturing the Black Pearl.

"You have utterly destroyed the pirate presence in the Caribbean," Elizabeth said begrudgingly wishing her words weren't the truth, "Where there were Pirate Captains that commanded hundreds of ships there are now only loose rambles of ships that could not hope to mount any meaningful attack on the East India Trading Company's lucrative trading routes now. I would say you accomplished what you were sent out here to do."

"It seems the directors in London agree with your assessment," Beckett said tapping the open letter on the table.

Elizabeth could see the disappointment in his bearing, "Why do they want you in London?"

"You read the letter same as I; they did not say, just that they require my _expertise_ back in London."

"And what expertise are those?" Elizabeth challenged.

"If I were to list them all, we would be here for some time," Beckett snidely grinned back at her from behind the tea cup at his mouth, "but alas we have to start packing for a voyage."

"I didn't realise the great Lord Cutler Beckett could be summoned," Elizabeth taunted.

"Even I have people who I must answer to," Beckett said shaking his head as if he wished it wasn't so, "but I hope you are under no illusion who _you_ answer too.

Elizabeth drank her tea to stop herself from saying something she would regret and let the scent and warmth of the liquid calm her fuming temper.

But somehow, she suspected Beckett knew exactly the effects his words had on her.

Her suspicions were confirmed when she flicked her eyes from the tea to his smug face. But she noted a hint of frustration behind that obnoxious mask he put on.

He was not happy with the recent development either.

* * *

A few days later ..

**On the deck of HRM Endeavour, Somwhere between Hati and Cuba**

* * *

Elizabeth leaned in closer to her father who was staring out into the endless blue sea in the direction that they were sailing from. In the direction of Port Royal, the place they had spent more than twenty years calling home.

Elizabeth could feel her father's uneasiness through the unusually tense muscles in his shoulder and arms.

"It will be okay," Elizabeth tried to reassure.

"Oh, I am sure it will," Weatherby Swann replied with his eyes nervously darting back and forth between the dozen or so Royal Navy ships that were escorting them all the way back to England.

Elizabeth caught his attention and raised an eyebrow.

Her father sighed and tried to release the tension he held in his body, "This was never the life I wanted for you."

"You didn't want me married to a high Lord?" she lightly teased.

"Well … I did," Weatherby conceded, "but I wanted you to be happy."

"I can handle my new husband."

Weatherby looked behind them to see the mentioned Lord standing on the quarter desk with his eyes firmly set ahead, "Does he treat you well?"

"He treats me well enough."

Weatherby fiddled with his collar and Elizabeth knew what he had truly been asking.

"We are not truly man and wife yet," she said in hushed tones, "He claims to not take that which a lady doesn't want to give."

Weatherby frowned, "How gracious of him. Maybe he shouldn't have married an unwilling woman in the first place."

Elizabeth snuggled in closer to her father and smiled at the spite in her father's voice. He so rarely showed anything other than careful politeness.

Elizabeth broke their cosy embrace when a man shouted at the top of his lungs, "Ships sighted."

She half hung out of the HRM Endeavours railings to see that a dozen ships flying a pirate flag were gaining on them. It would take them minutes to catch up but then she saw the sails of the ship leading the charge.

"The Black Pearl," she whispered in amazement, "Jack."

A heavy hand landed on her shoulder. She turned to see a redcoat officer with a skittish look on his face.

"Lord Beckett would like you and your father inside his cabin from now on."

Elizabeth didn't reply but let her father guide her to the captain's quarters.

* * *

"Is it Jack Sparrow?" Weatherby Swann asked his daughter as they tried to see out the back window of Beckett's cabin.

Elizabeth moved around to better see that the pirate ships were now engaging with the Navy fleet that was escorting them.

"Yes," she replied while walking back to the closed door.

"What are you doing?"

"I am going to help Jack," Elizabeth said while trying the door.

Elizabeth let out a shout of frustration at finding the door locked while her father let out a breath of relief.

"Elizabeth-" he started as a crashing sound came from behind him.

The window that they had been looking out of earlier was laying shattered on the floor and Jack Sparrow and Hector Barbossa stood in its place.

"I be hearing there is a damsel in distress that needs some rescuing," Barbossa grinned with one had on the rope he had swung in on.

"Come on love, no time to dilly dather," Jack said with his hand outstretched towards Elizabeth.

When Elizabeth walked towards him, Barbossa snatched out and dragged her into his embrace, "This time I get the beauty," then jumped backwards out of the window.

Jack looked to Weatherby then to the banging on the locked door, "Come on then."

Weatherby reluctantly walked towards Jack before the pirate grabbed him and pushed him off the ship then followed him down.

* * *

Elizabeth helped her father onboard the Black Pearl as he continued to cough water up.

"We got our prize. I'd say it is time to scarper, don't you agree Captain? Jack said flicker his hands one way then the other while his eyes fixated on the deck on the HRM Endeavour.

"Aye, let's sail before we lose any more ships and men," Barbossa agreed before turning his eye to Elizabeth, "Where be me monkey Miss Swann?"

Jack answered, "The little bugger is still on the Endeavour."

"What?" Barbossa yelled as he pulled out his spyglass to see monkey Jack running around the deck of the Endeavour between the fighting redcoats and pirates' legs.

"Sometime he is more trouble than you?" Barbossa accused.

"That isn't true."

"So too it be true."

"Is not."

Jack and Barbossa continued arguing and Elizabeth rolled her eyes. Somethings never change. She knelt next to her father who was still breathing heavily with his clothes wet and dishevelled.

"What is wrong Father?" Elizabeth asked as pistol shots rang out in the background.

"Oh, nothing just not used to pirates or all this fighting," he gave what he hoped was a reassuring smile with one hand covering his ear.

It was in that moment Elizabeth knew her father wouldn't survive the pirate life for long. He wasn't cut out for it, too entrenched in the comfortable world he had been brought up in, too old to change his ways now.

"We have to go back," Elizabeth said quietly but the squabbling pirates stopped their bickering.

"What? You want to go back?" Barbossa said raising his eyebrow.

"My father doesn't belong here … and neither do I."

Both pirates looked down at Weatherby Swann and understood Elizabeth's decision instantly. They both knew a pirate when they saw one and the old man didn't fit the bill but Elizabeth did.

"We can dump him back out a sea?" Jack suggested but cowered behind Barbossa at the look Elizabeth shot him.

"I stay with my father," she said definitively.

"Elizabeth, go with them. I will be fine with Beckett. He still needs my contacts in London."

"I will not abandon you to die alone working away in a dark room under the cosh of greedy men. I cannot do that to you," she turned to the two pirate Captains, "This is goodbye."

Jack and Barbossa shrugged at each other.

Barbossa stepped forward and tipped his hat, "It has been a pleasure Miss Swann."

Jack walked past Barbossa, "You sure love? We put in all this effort to free you."

"And I appreciate it I really do but it is time I went back to my world and left yours alone," she gave him a sad smile."

"Well feel free to jump the plank anytime your majesty," Jack did a pretend curtsy.

Both pirates then started shouting orders, "Back to the ship! We done here lads!"

Elizabeth helped her father up on to his two feet and lead him to the side of the ship that was away from the Endeavour.

"Elizabeth please reconsider-"

Before her father could utter another word, Elizabeth had pushed him overboard. She gave Jack on last nod of appreciation then jumped overboard herself.

* * *

"Sir, in the water," a young sailor bellowed and pointed at the retreating Black Pearl.

After a few seconds of looking, he saw them. Governor Swann and his daughter floating in the waves.

"Get them onboard now," Beckett ordered, noting to himself to ring the truth out of Elizabeth later once he had control of the situation.

"What about the Black Pearl and the other pirate ships?" The sailor asked.

"We can't catch them. Once my wife and her father are onboard, we continue onto England," Beckett said walking off to check on the damage to the Endeavour.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Notes:
> 
> I do think Elizabeth would forsake a life of exciting pirate adventures (especially because Will is dead) to be with her father in his final years in a setting he would actually cope with. He is all the family she has ever had and she knows he wouldn't survive the pirate life for long so it is a heavy decision she took to go back to the HRM Endeavor and Beckett; and say goodbye to Jack, Barbossa, and the crew of the Black Pearl but it is one I think she would make.
> 
> So, thoughts on Beckett and Elizabeth going to London?
> 
> Next Up: Elizabeth attempts to settle into the London social scene while some old friends drop in on Beckett to welcome him home.


End file.
